


Nine-Tails' Rising

by Crash5020



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Conspiracy, Discovery, Family, Family Secrets, Fanfiction, Manga & Anime, Secrets, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28021203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crash5020/pseuds/Crash5020
Summary: October 10th, the day Naruto was born. What was supposed to be the happiest day also ended up being the day Kushina and Minato's fates were changed forever. Something was discovered that day and they will do anything to protect their son from it and the dangers it poses. But will their "protection" save their family or will it be the very thing that leads to their downfall?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue: The Birth of Naruto

_"I remember that day. How could I forget? It was happiest day of our lives. But at the same time it was one of the scariest. Not because of the knowledge that it was going to be a painful happy day or that there won't be any sleep for awhile. That I could deal with. No, what made it scary was something else entirely."_

**October 10 th, 6 years ago…**

Within a single room, two couples occupied a single table.

On one end of the table were the Fourth and most current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. 

On the other end sat the previous Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his wife, Biwako.

Minato's eyes subtly jumped back and forth between his wife and their guests. He had hoped that the jitters for the occasion were all he had to face, but it wasn't to be. For months he had to steel himself for the possibility of something else happening today.

Kushina solemnly glanced down at her enlarged stomach and gently placed her hand on top.

"Just so we're on the same page… Why are we doing this again?" she asked.

"A precaution," Hiruzen simply stated.

"With all due respect, I still don't see how all these 'signs' makes this necessary."

Minato anxiously scratched his right cheek. As a father to be, he wanted to side with Kushina on the matter, but as Hokage, he knew that what had been proposed needed to be done.

The first sign was the discovery of the amount of chakra the child she carried occasionally gave off. Sensory shinobi in the village had informed them that normally a developing child in the womb gave off such little chakra that it is hard to detect. However, the one they were waiting for sometimes emitted so much that it felt like it was announcing its presence.

It was strange, but they figured that it wasn't necessarily a concern until the second sign. One day, while they were visiting the local playground, Kushina felt a hot, bubbling sensation in her stomach. For a brief moment, a vermillion red chakra seeped through her skin and shrouded her stomach. Before they could question it, the chakra vanished from sight.

The third sign occurred that very night. After dinner, Kushina let out a belch so powerful enough that it threw Minato across the kitchen. The fourth and final sign was her missing her expected due date. To everyone's surprise, the child they were waiting for wasn't finished developing. An eye was kept on the development of the child until it was clear that today was the day they would meet him.

"We have never faced a situation like this before, Kushina," Hiruzen calmly reminded her. "It goes without saying that we wouldn't normally do this for childbirth, but you're child has been giving off chakra to such an extent that it has had physical effects on you. A newborn wouldn't have control of their chakra and we have to prepare for the worst once he's here."

"You make it sound like he's dangerous…" Kushina argued.

"We don't know whether he's dangerous or not, but it's best to air on the side of caution," Biwako pointed out. "Perhaps this is just a result of his development and it'll end once he's here or…"

She knew deep down what they were saying was right, but still-

A hand gently perched itself on her right shoulder. She looked up and was greeted with her husband's smile. It was soft and reassuring like always. "All that matters is that we're all together when he's here."

"Fine, you win this round," Kushina relented.

Hiruzen nodded his head.

"We'll set a place up outside the village and erect a barrier around it. Only Minato, my wife and Taji from the Anbu will be inside. This must be kept top-secret.

Of course, there will be reinforcements outside, Anbu under my direct command."

"I'll tell you where the place is, so get your things ready!" Biwako added.

"Yes… Thank you both," Kushina thanked.

…

"Didn't you have a girl?"

Standing in front of Kushina was her friend, Mikoto Uchiha. Tucked between her arms was a baby.

"Nope, another boy," she corrected.

"Well, what's his name, Mikoto?"

Mikoto looked down at her child and proudly answered with, "Sasuke."

Biwako eyes briefly lit up with interest. "Ah, the same as the Third's father."

"Yes… I'm sure he'll become a fine shinobi."

Mikoto's eyes were then drawn to Kushina's stomach.

"You're almost due, aren't you Kushina? You should pick out a name before it's too late."

"We've got one – 'Naruto'," she chirped. "He and Sasuke will be in the same grade, I hope they become friends."

Her expression darkened as she leaned in close, "By the way… Does it hurt? Like, bad?"

Mikoto chuckled. The sight of Kushina shivering with fear was a rare sight."Well well, even you're afraid of something. I'll be."

Before she could say more, Kushina felt something tug her left arm.

"Come on already!" Biwako scowled as she pulled her away.

"Oh, sorry," Kushina apologized as she waved by to Mikoto.

"Remember, we need to keep your birth classified. Try not to talk to anyone while we're on the move, even your friends."

"Right, sorry about that."

Kushina couldn't help but feel flustered over such reprimanding. She's not used to being on the receiving end.

"The fact that we're leaving the village for this is classified as well!" Biwako reminded her. "Don't go screaming you're head off, even when the contractions started."

"R-Right…"

Later that night…

"OH GOD, IT HURRRRRRRRRRRTS!" Kushina screamed.

It was just like she feared, the pain was unbearable. She gripped her husband's hand tighter in tighter in time with each spasm of pain.

"I, uh… I've never heard Kushina in so much pain. Are… Are you sure he's all right…" Minato anxiously asked.

His hand was squeezed even tighter than before as Kushina let out another roar.

"The head's out!" Almos-!"

Biyako and Taji's eyes widened with horror as two watched a dark red shroud cover the baby's head. Two long, fox like ears sprouted from the top of his head as he stared at them with dull, white eyes.

"What in-"

The child roared; the power and ferocity of its voice sending the two flying into a nearby wall. 

"Biwako, Taji!" a sharp chill crawled down Minato's spine as he watched his child drag himself out of his wife.

Each violent movement he made caused his mother even more pain than before. His body was soon free but more pain awaited Kushina. She howled in pain as four long tails swiftly flew out of her.

Each tail swayed menacingly in front of them. His dark red appearance, his ears, his tails and his preference to crouch on his hand and legs, one would be forgiven to mistake the child for a demon fox.

"Naruto…?"

That was all Minato could say as he tried to process what was going on.

"Lord Hokage!"

The team of Anbu who had been assigned to keep watch over the area rushed in. The moment they laid their eyes on Naruto prompted them to ready their kunai knives.

"No, wait!" Minato ordered.

Naruto lunged at the Anbu. In no time at all, he effortlessly dispatched of the members of the elite black ops group.

The child then jerked one of the shinobi towards him and raised his right hand over his head. The tips of his fingers slowly narrowed until they were as sharp as knives.

"Naruto, don't!" in the blink of an eye, Minato landed on the other side of the room.

Droplets of blood splattered on the floor. His son's claws were as sharp as he thought they would be.

"You… You really know how to make a first impression, Naruto…" he weakly chuckled.

Without making a sound, Naruto ripped his hand out of his father's abdomen and wrapped his tails around him.

But it didn't stop at ensnaring him; once he was securely captured, Naruto used his tails to squeeze his father.

"Ugh…!" The Hokage was being crushed from every angle, powerless to escape in a way that wouldn't hurt his son. "N-Naruto…"

The pressure of the tails was beginning to become unbearable leaving him no choice but to-

"Hold on."

Out of nowhere, a cloaked figure swiftly kicked Naruto away from Minato.

They didn't appear to be reinforcements from the Leaf which begged the question: Who were they and how did they find this place?

Judging from their height and voice, they had to have a teenage boy.

It was at that moment that he realized that it didn't matter who this stranger was. They were in danger.

"You need to get out of here," Minato advised.

The slightly injured Kage kept his eyes trained on the mysterious figure as he moved in front of him. Though his face was covered by the shadow of his hood, his sharp, violet eyes shined through for all to see.

Though they didn't look human, he recognized what kind of eyes they were. They were the eyes of someone who's seen their fair share of traumatic events.

But Minato wasn't the only one analyzing someone by the look of their eyes. The cloaked stranger noticed a hesitation in the Hokage's eyes. Along with Kushina's weakened state and the small stature of the creature he kicked away, he immediately knew what needed to be done.

The stranger silently turned his gaze back to Naruto. Suddenly appearing behind the newborn child, he grabbed one of his tails and brought him up to his face. The stranger's eyes shined as he placed his right hand on Naruto's stomach. 

"Sleep."

With that singular word, the shroud that covered Naruto vanished, revealing a tiny boy with blonde hair and three whisker markings on his cheeks.

He gently caught him before he could hit the floor and carried the newborn to his mother.

"Thank you," a weak, but bright smile spread across her face.

"No need," he said as he turned his back to the couple.

"Wait," Minato called.

The stranger turned back.

"At least let us give you something to show our gratitude."

The cloaked figure glanced at the newborn Naruto and once again turned his back to them.

"Take care of your son. That'll be enough for me."

With those parting words, the stranger vanished from sight.

_"I remember that day. It was one of the happiest and scariest days of our lives. But what made it scary wasn't how Naruto lashed out, but the realization of what could happen if the knowledge of the power he contained became public knowledge. What kind of people would develop a selfish interest in him if they knew what happened that day?_

_I hoped that question would remain unanswered, but…"_


	2. On The Way To The Academy...

**Hokage's Office, Present Day.**

When one thinks of the position of Hokage, they think of one who has earned the title of strongest in the entire village. A shinobi that possesses the power to protect the village and all of its interests; that is what a Hokage is.

What most people don't usually think about however is how that doesn't just apply to physical conflicts. There are many other duties a Hokage must do. For some reason, normal citizens and rookie ninja never really consider sifting through mountains of paperwork to be one of the Hokage's responsibilities.

That was what Minato was doing until one of his elite bodyguards, Raidō Namiashi, rushed into the room.

"Lord Hokage, we have a problem!" he said.

"What is it?" Minato calmly questioned.

"We've been getting reports of some kind of wild chase happening throughout the village."

"Wild chase? Wild how?"

"According to the reports, two individuals have been jumping through rooftops, slipping through alleys and in and out of stores and overall disrupting day to day activities.

"Is there someone nearby that can convince them to stop?"

"That's the other thing…" Raidō averted his gaze, but Minato could still see the fear in his eyes. "Every shinobi nearby are too afraid to step in."

"Afraid?"

"I probably should have informed of the descriptions of the two in the reports. One of them is a small child with blonde hair and distinctive whisker marks on his cheeks and the other is a woman with long flowing red hair."

A weak chuckle slipped through Minato's lips. "Y-You don't say…"

Another aspect of the Hokage job that others don't really think about is balancing the responsibilities of work with the responsibilities one has towards their families. An even more obscure aspect of the are the scenarios when those two responsibilities come together.

"Alright, I'll go and get them to stop," Minato declared, slipping on his long white haori. "Raidō, where were they last seen?" 

At that moment, the two heard something banging on the office windows. Turning around, Minato found his son swiftly going back and forth between the windows, hammering his fists on each one. 

"Dad! Dad! Open up! Open up!" he cried.

Minato calmly opened the center window and watched in silence as Naruto dove under his desk. The fear on his son's face was all he needed to confirm the situation.

"Naruto, you know running just makes it worse…." he weakly encouraged.

"That's easy to say when she's not chasing you!" Naruto argued.

Minato contemplatively scratched the back of his head.

_Can't argue with him there…_

"NARUTO!"

A sharp chill shot up their spines as they heard what sounded like a rampaging bull heading towards the office. Suddenly, everything went quiet. One would hope that the silence would signify the other participant of the chaotic chase went away, but they all knew better. Mere seconds later, the door to the office violently swung open.

Naruto's heart started to race as he heard the sound of someone stomping towards the desk. Images of his pursuer's face flashed in his mind. There were two faces that he was afraid of; there was their angry face and then there was their other face. The face that was even scarier. You couldn't even see their face when they're like that. Their face was blanketed by an out-of-nowhere shadow, as if to emphasize the blank white eyes and the demonic flowing red hair.

He, like most of the villagers, feared that face the most; a face that was now directed solely at him.

"Gotcha…" Kushina growled.

A small child's scream could be heard throughout the entire village.

**…**

A small groan escaped Naruto's lips as he stared at the plate in front of him. There was nothing but vegetables on it.

_I hate veggies…_

The 6-year old glanced at his mother. Not too far away, she was washing the dishes. But even though she wasn't looking his way, he could tell that her focus was mostly on him.

_But I'm afraid of Mom more…_

With no other choice, Naruto grabbed the plate of food and crammed everything on top into his mouth. Regret hit him quickly as the variety of vegetables brushed his tongue all at once. He wasted no time swallowing his dinner, battling the desire to throw up what he was forcing down his throat.

_I hate veggies…!_

"See, was it really that bad?" Kushina asked with a proud smile. "Definitely didn't call for having your mother chase you around the village 3 times, huh?"

Naruto blankly stared at his mother. He expected to lose her before he made it to Ichiraku, but, to his amazement and horror, she forced him to zig-zag through the village more than once. What was even more horrifying was the idea that she could have kept that up longer than that.

"Why are parents always so serious about giving their kids vegetables?" Naruto complained.

"Wait… I'm prepared for this one…" Kushina dug into her pocket and pulled out a tiny sheet of paper. Clearing her throat, she read, "Most parents understand that vegetables are an important part of their child's diet because vegetables are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals."

"Huh?" Naruto could only stare at his mother, confused by what he just heard.

"They're good for essentially," she said. "You gotta eat a lot of veggies if you want to be strong like your father and mother."

"I don't really feel much stronger. Did you eat a lot of veggies when you were a kid?"

"Uhm…" Kushina's cheeks grew bright red as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "Of course I did."

She started anxiously laughing, confusing her son. Memories of her first encounter with vegetables were as clear as day.

_At least I didn't use the chains on him like they were used on me…_

Her brief stint down memory lane was soon interrupted by the sound of a door closing. Minato breathed a sigh of relief as he walked into the kitchen.

"Dad!"

A bright smile crossed Naruto's face as he waved at his father.

"Anything interesting happen today?" Kushina asked.

"N-Not really…" Minato weakly answered.

He wasn't too sure if he should tell his wife and son that their village wide game of chase that ended in his office was the most "interesting" part of his day. Would they find that insulting or would they not care. Maybe they would take it as a compliment?

Minato shook his head. A droplet of sweat crawled down his face as he chuckled.

_One of them definitely wouldn't…_

"Hey, Dad, did your parents force you to eat a lot of veggies when you were a kid?" Naruto asked.

"Vegetables? Actually, now that I think about it, they didn't. I ate them of my own volition," Minato answered. "They are good for you."

Minato received two different reactions from his family; his son was dumbfounded while his wife was gleefully snickering. But though their reactions were different, their thoughts were the same.

_Had to be the only kid who did so…_

"Sensei said I had to be the only kid who did so," Minato chuckled.

"And yet look who became Hokage?" Kushina pointed out. "I rest my case."

Naruto glanced down at his empty plate.

_I still hate veggies…_

"Anyway, it's time for bed," Kushina announced.

"What? It's way too early for bed!" Naruto complained.

"Not for those that makes their mother chase them around the whole village three times."

Though she had a smile on her face, Naruto could tell how she really felt. Her hair slowly raising up and down made it all too clear.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Naruto wasted no time running out of the kitchen.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Kushina yelled.

"On it!" Naruto yelled back.

Minato turned to his wife with a inquisitive look on his face.

"Three times? I thought that was an exaggeration in the report."

"It wasn't," Kushina sighed. "He really did run around the village three times. Probably would have done more laps if he didn't dive into your office, ya know. Wait… There was a report?"

"Nothing specific, just two people jumping around the village…"

"Screaming at each other…?"

"That may have been on there…"

Kushina's cheeks grew red with embarrassment as she plopped down in a nearby chair.

"…At least I didn't use the chains, ya know…" she said.

Minato just stared at his wife. "Your parents used the chains on you?"

"Yep. Said veggies are 'good' for you and I had to eat them," Kushina moaned. "I know that now, but the chains were still going a bit overboard."

"Yeah… That really does sound like an overreaction. I never realized the dark relationship between kids, parents and vegetables."

The young Kage glanced at a nearby photograph hanging on the wall. It was the official team photo he took with his old students: Kakashi, Obito and Rin.

It was a tough time getting everyone together in the photo, but he still looked back on the day with fondness.

"You know, the way you act around Naruto sometimes is similar to how you acted around Obito," Minato noted.

"Well, I did kinda wish that Naruto would be like him…" Recalling her past interactions with Obito, a small smile formed on Kushina's lips. "They really are alike in personality; they both know exactly how to get on my bad side."

On the floor above them, Naruto dragged himself into his room and jumped into his bed. Like always, his eyes were drawn to the covered up hole in his ceiling. It's been there for as long as he could remember, but he never knew what caused it. The scorch marks that outlined the hole only made it even more mystifying.

_Maybe someone used a fireball in my room._

He had asked his parents but they always dodged the topic.

"Oh well."

Naruto shrugged and turned over in his bed. Despite not wanting to, the child quickly drifted into the blankets of sleep.

**The next morning…**

Minato's eyes scanned through the front page of the local newspaper.

"What's going on with the world today?" Kushina asked as she placed a plate in front of her husband.

"Nothing much. Though there is some noise about the release of a new book," Minato answered.

"Your old Sensei got another book published?" a look of disgust planted itself on his wife's face as she considered what she just said. "It's not another one of that series I catch Kakashi reading is it?"

"It's not one of Sensei's novels. It's something called In the Darkness of Sh-"

"Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad!"

Naruto rushed into the kitchen and strapped on the backpack sitting in his seat.

"Are you seriously going to leave without eating breakfast?" Kushina asked perplexed.

"Right, right."

Naruto dug into his bag and put on his signature goggles. Once they were securely in place, he grabbed a nearby sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth as he rushed to the kitchen window.

"Hey! You could at least eat at the table with your family!" his mother raged.

"I gomaa jeb jovig ko I kin wock hide end bd e awdsohm shobbi <I gotta get going so I can work hard and be a awesome shinobi>" Naruto replied.

With a confident grin, the child dove through the window and took off.

"Could've at least go through the front door…" she sighed. "He's really making hard not to use the chains…"

Once again serving as a witness to the typical family routine, Minato sheepishly chuckled before returning to his morning paper.

**…**

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop on his way to the academy. He didn't really know why, but he was one of the few kids his age to so effortlessly; a fact that made the other members of his class green with envy.

He continued to make his way to the academy until he heard a scream. One negative to using the rooftops as a route was when the need to make a sudden stop arises. Naruto frantically waved his arms in a counter-clockwise motion to force his body to fall back on the roof instead of forward towards a 3 story fall.

He breathed a sigh of relief then looked down towards the street below; a familiar young girl with medium length brown hair scrambling around the street.

He hopped down next to her and asked, "Hey, Ayame, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" the startled 11-year old looked up and followed the greeting to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, I kinda tripped and…"

The two looked around. Scattered across the ground were bowls that were miraculously undamaged.

"…You see the rest," she sighed. "Dad's not going to trust me with another supply run when he finds out I dropped everything the first time he trusted me to do it."

"Pops getting mad?"

Naruto closed his eyes and recalled the last time Teuchi was mad and lashed out at someone. A snort slipped out of him.

_That was hilarious._

The idea of seeing him get mad again was enticing until he noticed the distress on Ayame's face.

_Then again, Pops yelling at Ayame isn't that funny._

He knew right then and there what he to do. A bright smile stretched across his face as he reached for a bowl.

"C'mon, Ayame, we got to get these to Ichiraku before Pops gets mad at us," he declared.

"Us? But don't you have class today, Naruto?" Ayame asked.

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early, so I'm good," Naruto assured her. "Anyway, GO!"

On his signal, the two began collecting ramen bowls as if their lives depended on it. With lightning speed, they gently placed the bowls into their original packaging.

"Alright, let's get these to Pops!" Naruto loudly declared.

"Wait…" Ayame started counting the bowls. While they did collect everything she dropped, her expression darkened as she discovered a new problem."We can't take these to Dad…"

"Why not?"

"I just realized that they're all dirty from being on the street…"

"Can't you just wash them at Ichiraku?"

Ayame's shoulders slumped forward and her expression darkened even more.

"Oh right, Pops would yell at you…" Naruto crossed his arms as he contemplated their situation. "I got it! To my house!"

**…**

Naruto and Ayame poked their heads out of a nearby bush and fixed their gazes towards the former's house.

"What are we doing at your house, again?" the 11-year old asked.

"To wash the ramen bowls," Naruto answered.

"Oh, I get it; we're going to ask Mrs. Kushina to help us out."

"Are you crazy?! You know what would happen if Mom finds out I'm skipping class?"

Naruto shivered at the thought. He didn't want to see the blank eyes and swaying red hair again so soon. He already considered himself lucky that he didn't see the red aura she sometimes has.

"Alright, let's see if Mom's home."

Using the utmost caution, the two approached Namikaze/Uzumaki household and peeked through the kitchen window. As Naruto expected, his mother was still home.

"How are we going to get to the kitchen with your mom still home?" Ayame whispered.

"Um…"

His mind was as blank as a white canvas. He never really thought that far ahead in regards to sneaking by his mother.

It seemed that he would have to abandon the plan and come up with a new one until he noticed someone approach the front door.

It was a young woman with fair skin and pink hair that was tied back with a black ribbon. But what Naruto found most notable about the stranger were her green eyes. There was a gentle and inviting.

He didn't know why it was happening, but Naruto felt his heart race just by looking at her.

He was sure that she was literally sparkling, but that radiance disappeared when his mother answered the door.

He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but judging by their happy faces, they seemed to be familiar with each other. Moments later, the two took off, eventually disappearing from sight.

"I didn't know Mom had a friend like that," Naruto thought aloud.

"A friend like what?" Ayame asked.

"…I don't know. Just a friend like that."

"She's as pretty as Mrs. Kushina."

"Yeah…" his heart slowly returned to its usual pace as he shifted his focus back towards the task at hand. "Anyway, let's go."

The two carried the box filled with ramen bows into the house and into the kitchen.

"Alright, let's get these bowls ready for ramen!" Naruto declared.

"Alright! Hand me the C-V̅XX soap and towel!" Ayame cheered.

"What…?"

An awkward atmosphere hung above the two.

"You do have C-V̅XX products here, right?" Ayame anxiously asked.

"What is that?" Naruto questioned.

"They're probably that best brand in the world. They make almost anything which includes towels and soap. Dad says that we need the best to properly clean the bowls we serve our customers."

"Wow… I never realized Pops took serving ramen this seriously… No wonder his is always the best."

"So…"

"I don't think we have any of those… But I know where we can get some!"

**…**

A child's screams could be heard over the heads of the citizens on the streets. Ayame's grip on Naruto tightened and tightened as the 6-year old jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Why do we have to go to wherever you're going by rooftop?" she cried.

"Because it's faster and I don't want my Mom to see me on the streets," Naruto replied. "Do you know what will happen if she catches me cutting class?"

"Okay, so where are we going?"

"There!"

Naruto jumped down to street level and landed in front of one of the many stores around.

Ayame glanced up at the sign and read aloud, "'Emporium Karin?' Isn't this a ninja weapon shop?"

"Yeah, but they got a lot of other stuff too. I bet they got what we need here."

Naruto led Ayame into the store. The inside was barely lit and possessed a gloomy atmosphere that weighed on their souls.

"What is this place?" Ayame shuddered as she looked around.

"Yeah, the owner kinda runs this shop this way…" Naruto sighed.

"Can I help you…?"

Such a sudden greeting caused the two visitors to fall flat on their face. Naruto quickly jumped back on his feet and turned around. Standing behind him was a small girl. She was about Naruto's age but lacked the energy that his age group usually had.

Just by looking into her reddish-pink eyes was enough to see that she was hollow inside.

"Karin, you got to stop doing that," Naruto said. "You're going to scare your customers away."

"Sorry…" Karin apologized.

The tone of her voice was almost cold and emotionless as the weapons that surrounded them.

"Um… So, do you have any C-V̅XX soap and towel?"

"I believe I do… Let me check the back…"

Karin walked to the backroom, leaving Naruto to wonder why she so gloomy all the time. 5 minutes later, Karin returned with a bottle of soap and a towel.

"There were some in the back…" she said.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. "Thanks, Karin!"

"That will be 200 ryō…"

All sense of happiness vanished the instant he heard that number.

"T-Two hundred ryō?! It's that much for soap and a towel!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes…"

Naruto frantically dug into both of his pockets. As he expected, he didn't have even a single ryō.

"Um… I'm kinda broke…" he admitted.

The child glanced down at Ayame and asked, "Hey, Ayame, you got any ryō?"

Not a word was said in response to his question. Taking a closer look, he realized that she was unconscious.

"Oh…" Naruto muttered.

"I guess I could give it to you for free…" Karin proposed.

"No way!"

Though Naruto had no qualms about receiving items for free, he knew that it wouldn't be good for Karin to keep giving things for free.

"I don't have any money, but what if I do something for the store, like help you sell stuff?" Naruto offered.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now…?"

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early anyway," Naruto shrugged. "So c'mon, give me something to do."

"Well… There is a shipment of supplies waiting for me at the Post Office … It was always my job to pick it up, but it's been hard to do that lately while keeping an eye on the store…"

"Got it! I'll go get you your things and you can give us the stuff right?"

"Yes…"

"Alright, stay right there! I'll be back in no time!"

**…**

The Hidden Leaf Post Office, a fairly tall building where mail comes and goes. It is the job of those that work there to sort through and deliver incoming mail to those in the village. For outgoing mail, they enlist the help of the local delivery birds to send mail to destinations far away.

It wasn't the most glamorous or eventful job, but-

"Hey!"

Naruto's sudden appearance in the top floor along with his loud voice proved to be an event itself.

It took a full minute for them to regain their composure. Envelopes were scattered across the floor due to his sudden outburst, a fact that earned him more than a few glares.

"Um… I'm here to pickup something?" he awkwardly explained.

**…**

Naruto paced back and forth on a nearby rooftop in a huff.

"I said I was sorry!" he complained. "What more do they want from me?! And what do they mean 'only authorized personnel can pickup for someone else'!"

The annoyed child plopped himself down along the edge of the roof and groaned.

"Can't ask Dad for help and only assigned ninja can collect mail. I didn't know you could even be assigned boring missions like that. Hope that doesn't happen to me."

All hope seemed lost until he got an idea. A devious smile crossed his face as jumped down into a nearby alley.

**…**

Normally the entrance to the Post Office wouldn't have staff members guarding the entrance, but they knew Naruto wouldn't give up that easily. They knew something eventful was going to happen, but what they did not expect the next one to be the arrival of the Fourth Hokage.

"Morning, guys," Minato greeted with a wave.

"L-Lord Hokage?! What brings you here?!" one of the asked.

"Just here to pickup something."

Minato whistled a little tune as he walked past the sentries. They were dismayed as they watched their Hokage stroll by with a single fox tail jutting out from underneath his haori.

"Wait a minute…" one of the guards grabbed the tail and violently jerked it towards them.

Minato exploded into a puff of smoke and, once it cleared, revealed a startled Naruto.

"Naruto!"

"Crap! Plan B it is then!"

Naruto pulled a spherical object from his pocket and slammed it on the ground, covering the immediate vicinity with smoke.

"I'm getting Karin's supplies!" he yelled as he charged into the building.

From outside the building, the villagers could hear a variety of dialogue that made it clear what was happening in the Post Office.

"Stop him!"

"Grab him!"

"I'm just trying to get supplies for someone!"

"Authorized personnel only!"

"I need to get it for her!"

"Don't let him get any further!"

"Fine, take this! Sexy Jutsu!"

Everything went silent after that final announcement. Moments later, Naruto jumped out of the building with a package in hands and proceeded to make his way back to Emporium Karin.

**…**

Naruto plopped the supplies in the middle of the store with a victorious grin on his face.

"Got it."

"Thank you…" Karin slowly approached Naruto and presented the C-V̅XX products he asked for. "Here you go… Please come again…"

"Thanks, Karin!"

Naruto lifted the still unconscious Ayame over his shoulder and rushed out of the store. He carried her all the way to his house and woke her up once he reached the kitchen. They then spent the next 45 minutes cleaning the bowls then rushed to the Ramen Ichiraku.

Along the way, they tripped and dropped the box, leading to dirt covering the somehow undamaged bowls once again.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto raged.

Gathering and stuffing the scattered products back into the box again, the children turned around and rushed back to Naruto's house. They spent 45 more minutes washing the bowls and rushed to Ramen Ichiraku.

Tired and out of patience, the two plopped the box in front of the restaurant.

"There you are, Ayame," Teuchi said. "Where have you been this entire time?"

"She was just making sure that the stuff got here without anything happening, Pops," Naruto breathlessly answered.

"Naruto? Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" Teuchi asked.

"The interesting stuff doesn't happen this early, so I'm good," Naruto assured him.

They anxiously watched the restaurant owner inspect his order. To his surprise, they were cleaner than he expected them to be.

He thought for sure that they would need to clean them, but they were near spotless. He could tell just by looking at the gleam what really happened.

A proud smile formed on his lips as he drew his daughter to his side.

"Good work, Ayame," he praised.

A happy giggle slipped past her lips.

Teuchi then turned his attention to Naruto.

"Do you think you have enough time for a free bowl of ramen?" he offered.

"You bet I do!" Naruto cheered.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned towards the voice calling him. To his surprise, it belonged to his father.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was just taking a stroll," Minato answered. "But more importantly, why aren't you in class?"

"I was just helping someone with something. Besides, the interesting stuff doesn't happen this early anyway, so I'm good."

"Actually, Naruto, whether you find it interesting or not, everything they teach you in the academy is important, so missing anything is detrimental to your growth as a shinobi."

"Really?"

Naruto shot his father a look of disbelief.

"Really," his assured him. "Plus…"

Minato bent down and whispered into his ear, "You are aware that classes for the day will end soon, right?"

A sharp chill shot up and down Naruto's spine as he processed what he was told.

"OH CRAP!"

Wasting no time, Naruto frantically scaled the nearest building and took off for the Academy.

Minato scratched his right cheek as he watched his son disappear from sight. "He left before I could offer to take him there…"

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a familiar look on the passing by villagers. Anxiety and fear; those emotions were aimed at the direction his son took off towards.


	3. Classmates

A tired sigh was expelled from Naruto's body as he slowly rocked back and forth on one the local playground's swings. From there he could see most of his classmates play after a day of learning at the academy.

Normally he would join them in the fun, but he couldn't find it in him at the moment. Despite his best efforts, he missed class and now had to figure out how to avoid the consequences that would assuredly arise when that knowledge reaches his parents.

"So now you're skipping class now, Naruto?"

Snapped out of his thoughts by those mocking words, Naruto soon found himself face to face with Sakura.

First you fall asleep and now you don't show up… For the son of the Hokage, you sure aren't being a good role model," she jeered.

Naruto shot his pink-haired classmate an annoyed look. "I was helping someone. Besides, those things wouldn't happen if it wasn't for Sensei making class so boring most of the time."

"He's got a point," Shikamaru agreed. "Paper tests, taijutsu training, team training… The whole thing's a drag."

"I don't think class is boring you, Shikamaru; I think you're just lazy," Ino derided.

"You say that like its not obvious," Kiba laughed.

"You're not exactly in a position to insult others yourself, Kiba. How many times did Iruka Sensei keep you after class?" Ino retorted.

Kiba's cheeks grew red with embarrassment. He couldn't come up with a response to that fact.

Naruto meanwhile turned shifted his attention to Sasuke and asked, "Hey, Sasuke, you always get good grades; how do you stay up during the boring lessons?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer but was immediately cut off by Sakura.

"Unlike you, Sasuke realizes the importance of staying awake in class," she said.

Naruto and Sasuke shot the young, pink-haired girl looks of disbelief.

"Um… Yeah," Sasuke awkwardly scratched the back of his head, recalling what he was about to say. "Anyway, it's really-"

The young Uchiha was once again cut off, this time by a pair of hands wrapping themselves around him.

"Wow, that was a desperate way to compliment Sasuke," Ino calmly chided.

"She's got a point there…" Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"W-Who are you calling desperate?!" Sakura argued. "I'm not the one throwing myself at Sasuke."

"Yeah, about that…" Sasuke cheeks slightly grew red with embarrassment as he glanced down his captor's arms.

"INO!"

Ino turned around and was greeted with a dozen angry glares from her female classmates. It was the usual banter between the female half of their class.

"Get your hands off of Sasuke!"

"He's not yours!"

"Notice me, Sasuke!"

A tired sigh slipped through Sasuke's lips. He quickly slipped out of Ino's embrace and approached Naruto.

"I'm heading home…" he said.

Naruto nodded his head. "Right…"

The young Uchiha jumped towards a nearby fence and propelled himself forward, quickly disappearing from sight. Naruto didn't even need to look back at his female classmates to know that they were disappointed once again.

"Must be nice to have every girl in class completely obsessed with you..." Naruto thought aloud.

"I don't get why some people would want that…" Shikamaru yawned. "Having a bunch of girls that invade your personal space all the time; sounds like such a drag."

"I don't know, it looks like it'd be great," Choji admired.

"Trust me, it'd be a real pain," Shikamaru assured him.

Naruto glanced towards the sandbox. Sitting there was the one girl he knew that didn't gush over Sasuke: Hinata.

_Glad not every girl in class is like that._

Right after that thought, Hinata looked up and met eyes with Naruto. He couldn't really understand why, but there was something about her eyes that he was drawn to.

Suddenly, Hinata averted her gaze and continued to construct her sandcastle.

_Again…?_

Naruto never really understand why she suddenly had trouble looking him in the eye sometime after they first met. It was as cofounding to him as the why he was sometimes drawn to her eyes.

Shrugging the thoughts off, Naruto briefly swung back and forth until-

"No one has talked to me yet."

"Whoa!"

Startled by the sudden voice, Naruto found himself instinctively diving towards the sandbox. He expelled the large quantity of sand that had filled his mouth and looked back to swings to find-

"Shino?!"

Lurking right next to the swing he was on was the classmate he considered very creepy.

"…How long where you standing there, Shino?" Kiba asked.

Naruto could hear how disturbed Kiba was, a feeling he whole-heartedly agreed with.

"I've been here the whole time," he answered in his usual monotone voice.

There was only one thing on Naruto's mind in regards to the scenario. _That's super creepy…_

"That's super creepy," Ino flatly stated.

"It's not creepy. This is a public space and as such, I'm allowed to stand wherever I want," Shino replied.

"Doesn't mean that you have to lurk around like a ghost."

"I'm not lurking around. I'm just standing here."

"Seriously…?" Ino muttered.

There was something about how he spoke and his matter-of-fact tone that irritated Ino.

 _Hope I don't end up on a team with him when I graduate…_ Kiba silently pleaded.

"You know it's getting late. Probably best that we head home," Ino suggested.

"So you decide to go home just when I get a line a dialogue?" Shino questioned.

"Urgh!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he considered Ino's suggestion.

_Yeah, I'm in no rush to get back…_

He began to wonder what he could do to pass the time until he heard a loud roar. He looked down and gently rubbed his pleading stomach.

It was then when he realized he could kill two birds with one stone. "That's it!"

…

"More please!" Naruto and Choji announced in unison.

"I said we should go home and yet we're at Ichiraku…" Ino sighed.

"Something you suggested when I finally got some dialogue," Shino said.

Ino shot an annoyed glare at her classmate. She could feel her patience with him wearing thin.

"Don't blame me. I just said that I can't go home without a bowl of Ichiraku and you guys followed," Naruto pointed out.

Ino exchanged a knowing glance with Shikamaru and Choji. "Well, I know why I'm here."

She then directed a knowing smile at Hinata. "And I know why I certain someone is here."

Hinata meekly averted her gaze.

"But I don't know why the other three are here," Ino concluded.

"I just don't want to go home yet," Sakura answered. "My parents keep trying to have "the boy" talk with me."

"At 6?" Ino marveled.

"'For future reference', they say," Sakura sighed.

"Why's there need to be a talk about it? Boys are simple," Kiba said.

"You said it, not us," Ino chuckled.

"You pretty much gave her that one," Shikamaru pointed out.

"But you also got Ino to call Sasuke 'simple'," Naruto snickered.

"Uh…" Ino groaned at her mistake. "He's the exception!"

"We know. Sasuke is the best, there is no one better, blah, blah blah," Kiba mocked. "Just wait. Soon, I'll be the top dog in class."

"You?" Sakura snickered. "Naruto has a better chance than you and he's pretty much hopeless right now."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "I have as much of a chance as anyone!"

"You can't even do the transformation jutsu right," Kiba argued. "How do you keep accidently adding a fox tail to everyone you transform into."

"Urk-! Well, at least I'm not lazy enough to take tests!" Naruto shot back.

"I won't refute that point," Shikamaru calmly agreed.

"Or spend all day obsessing over someone," Naruto continued.

"Jealous that you're not that popular?" Ino jeered.

"As far as I'm concern I have a better chance than a lot of people in our class!"

Naruto slammed the bar with his fist, causing his next order of ramen to fly up and land on his head; naturally leading to him rolling along the ground, screaming over the burning sensation.

His classmates laughed at the spectacle barring Hinata. Though initially worried, she soon grew curious over the reactions of the other patrons of the small restaurant. Fear rested on the other customers faces before they slowly backed out of Ichiraku.

She had seen similar reactions in regards to whatever Naruto was currently doing before and wondered why.

…

That evening, Minato continued his daily duty of reading through a plethora of different documents; some were mission requests made out to the village while others were forms regarding the local facilities.

He thought that would be the only stressful thing he would have to deal with that night, unaware that something much more would appear before him signaled by a knock on his office door.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened and in walked a familiar half bandaged face.

"Danzō. What do I owe the pleasure?"

The seemingly frail old man stopped in front of the Hokage's desk and suddenly produced an envelope in his right hand.

"I believe this is yours," Danzō said.

Minato reached for the envelope and opened it.

"Everything the Hokage receives is important to the village," Danzō continued.

"Yes…" Minato agreed.

"And yet, this specific document, whatever it may be, was delivered late. In fact, if I hadn't brought it to you, then who knows when it would fall into the Hokage's hands, if at all."

"I understand."

"But do you understand why you received something important so late in the day?"

Minato remained silent.

"I've heard your son disrupted a vital part of the village's day-to-day operations by impersonating you," Danzō explained. "I don't think I need to explain to you how damaging such an interruption could be, let alone the idea of someone impersonating the Hokage."

"I understand, Danzō. I'll talk to Naruto about it as soon as I can," Minato assured him.

"But will that be enough? This isn't the first time your son has caused trouble for the village."

"I would appreciate if you didn't compare what was most likely an unintended side effect of an innocent act to something he had no control of when he was younger," Minato requested with a stern tone.

Instead of replying right away, Danzō turned and walked towards the exit. "A Hokage shouldn't show such bias when it comes to the village's well-being."

The elder was soon gone, leaving Minato alone with his thoughts.


End file.
